Halifax 12 Rochdale Hornets 16

LAST season Hornets won their league matches against Halifax thanks to stoppage time tries on both occasions.

SECOND STRIKE... Lee Patterson dives over the line to secure Hornets’ second try of the afternoon in the impressive 12-16 victory at The Shay which puts Darren Abram’s side top of their group.

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LAST season Hornets won their league matches against Halifax thanks to stoppage time tries on both occasions.

They won this clash by another narrow margin (their fourth consecutive victory over Super League's fallen aristocrats) but this time had to hold on for dear life after Halifax scrambled a try with two minutes remaining on the clock to narrow the margin to four points.

The teams are due to face each other at least three more times this season and supporters are in for a treat if this game was anything to go by.

But if the home side had managed to salvage anything as the seconds ticked away it would have been something of an injustice to a Hornets side which played with far more heart and passion than their hosts.

Phil Farrell and Matty Firth pulled the midfield strings while Matt Sturm and Tommy Goulden were impressive up front.

And the win gives Hornets a clear lead at top of Group Five of this year's qualifying competition.

The result must have been quietly satisfying for coach Darren Abram as well.

The last time he brought a team to The Shay - Leigh - he saw them leak 58 points.

But this Hornets team ran straight and hard when they had the ball and tackled efficiently and vigorously in defence where they largely snuffed out the threat of Halifax halfbacks Dean Lawford and Joel Penny.

After Halifax had looked the most likely side to score in the opening exchanges Hornets broke the deadlock when Richard Varkulis took Tommy Goulden's pass to force his way over on the left.

Mark McCully slotted over a neat conversion and the teams then proceeded to batter away at each other in midfield in a dour battle for the remainder of the half before Lee Patterson popped up to cross again for Hornets six minutes before the break after Dave McConnell had done the spadework. McCully again added the extras and that 12-0 interval lead was to be invaluable in the final analysis.

Abram was appealing for the floodlights to be switched on as the teams left the field for the break but must have wished he hadn't as 'Fax started much the brighter after the break and really turned the screw on the visitors in the opening 20 minutes.

Hornets, by dint of some tremendous backs to the wall scrambling defence, managed to limit Halifax to a solitary try from Anthony Blackwood which Lawford goaled.

Halifax may have huffed and puffed throughout this period but did not manage to blow the Hornets house over, although they certainly rattled the windows.

Hornets stuck to their guns and gained their reward for some stout defending when they finally raised the siege and got down to the other end of the field.

Having forced a scrum and then a drop-out some outstanding work from Phil Cantillon saw Varkulis and Patterson ship the ball out wide and Chris Giles slipped over in the corner.

David Larder's late try and Lawford's goal set up that late Halifax rally but Hornets hung on for victory.

Afterwards, Abram said: "Halifax put us under a lot of pressure but our defensive effort was superb. To keep Halifax scoreless for the whole of the first half was tremendous and I'm delighted with the whole team's effort. They have plenty of players and lots of experience and threaten from all over the field. With respect to the other two teams we've played so far this was our biggest test yet and we've answered any questions with this win. We deserved it today because we've worked hard over the last eight weeks."

His Halifax counterpart Anthony Farrell said: "We were pretty flat and I don't understand why. I'm really disappointed with that performance and this team can give 50 per cent more than it did today. There are a few glitches to work on and we'll be in training tomorrow to concentrate on those. It's a team game and if one or two cogs aren't working you're going to struggle."